The Chewys’ Family Trip to Bangkok Day One: Aloft Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 & Sukhumvit Soi 38 Street Food

Posted on September 28, 2015 by missuschewy

Hellooo chewys! I wanted to blog about our Bangkok trip earlier while it was still fresh in my mind but unfortunately, the bombing took place at Erawan Shrine shortly after we got back and I thought it wasn’t such an appropriate time to share our travelogue so I decided to delay it for a bit. As I had mentioned briefly in my previous posts, this trip’s agenda was to celebrate our 5th dating anniversary as well as my birthday! I never had a birthday trip before so I was rather excited even though I had been to BKK a few times. Hehehe 😛

We booked an afternoon flight so that it wouldn’t be so rushed for us. With a little one around, be prepared to spend at least twice the amount of time than you normally would. We used to take about an hour at least before we could head out of the house but now we need to wake up extra early to start preparing! I’m also quite paranoid when it comes to packing because baby’s stuff are usually necessities. If I could say so myself, I think I almost brought the whole house to BKK. LOL XD

Much love to Changi Recommends for lending us one of their overseas Wi-Fi router. The Changi Recommends booths are located in all 3 terminals and are open 24/7. It was very convenient for us as we only had to pick up the Wi-Fi device after checking in our luggages. That saves us on delivery charges! Upon your return, simply return the device by dropping it off at the Changi Recommends booth at your arrival terminal. Now that’s hassle-free! The last thing you would want is to fret over the collection and returning of your Wi-Fi device, so I’m really glad that Changi Airport Group established this subsidiary in 2012 to save travellers all the unnecessary trouble while providing affordable internet access to keep us connected during our trips.

A shot with Little misschewy’s favorite durian before we wave goodbye to my in-laws!

Our third family trip this year! We travelled to Phuket in January and Hong Kong in March 🙂

A wefie before take off! I’m not sure if the monkey face by Little misschewy was intentional but I’m posting it up anyway!

I don’t know about you but I love plane food! Somehow, plane food makes me really happyyy! This was some fish spaghetti and it was quite good!

But we couldn’t really eat in peace with an active toddler who refuses to stay in her seat.

The hubs Tula-ed her and walked up and down the aisle a couple of times and she finally conked out. Zzz.. I think misterchewy looked sleepy too. Hey, nobody said parenthood would be easy 😉

Sawadee ka~ Welcome to the Land of Smiles! 😀

We were desperately trying to hire a cab using the Grab Taxi app but to no avail. I guess the airport is too huge and the drivers ended up waiting elsewhere even though I had typed out the exact location where we were standing. Some drivers called but there was a communication breakdown and we were like argh ok nevermind forget it. Wasted my overseas call money! Lol. In the end, we decided to try our luck and went downstairs. Ahlamak! Should have just come here earlier la! Just get a printout from the machine and there will be a taxi car plate number stated on it. Plenty of taxi drivers waiting there!

A few hours without Internet connectivity made me feel uneasy so I switched on our Wi-Fi router as soon as we touched down. The hubs benefited from this as well since the router is able to connect up to 8 devices simultaneously. If it wasn’t for this router, I couldn’t have posted so many photos during our trip on my Instagram and Facebook page 😛

Because of the traffic jam, it took us almost an hour to reach our choice of accommodation, Aloft Bangkok Sukhumvit 11, which is one of the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) properties. Hotel accommodation in Bangkok is fairly affordable across the board. We went ahead with Aloft because we could earn Starpoints and the hotel rates were really attractive. Plus, the hotel is located quite near Nana BTS Station, which is a pretty centralized location.

Aloft Hotel also provides complimentary tuk tuk service to and from Nana BTS station.

Aloft hotel has this very cool and artsy fartsy vibe which I think most youngsters would appreciate. Lol.

Our Aloft Room spans about 30 to 33 square meters – plenty of space for Little misschewy to roam around even with a playpen in the room. I love the layout of the room and also the idea of waking up to a nice view of the city upon waking up.

Our ultra-comfortable platform bed was topped with plush bedding.

The bathroom is also very spacious. There is a sliding door to separate the walk-in shower from the vanity sink.

In case you are wondering, that’s a bottle sterilizer which we requested from the hotel.

The floor can be very slippery for toddlers so please request for a baby bath tub!

The view from our room.

Hahaha failed wefie with the bubs because she just didn’t want to sit still on my lap even for 3 seconds.

I actually planned to go to HERO Food & Gathering for dinner but misterchewy, being a fuddy duddy, was more keen to check out Sukhumvit Soi 38. I mean most guys should be quite thrilled to be eating in a restaurant full of Marvel superheroes right? So Sukhumvit Soi 38 it was. We took a cab and it was a huge mistake because the jam was horrendous. Should have taken the BTS instead.

We found it strange that there were only a few stalls there. Little did we know that Sukhumvit Soi 38 was closing down and most stalls had relocated elsewhere.

We walked all the way to the end and started with the wanton noodle stall. This was not bad but the slices of char siew were pretty good stuff.

The phad thai was so damn good that we had to resist ordering another plate in order to save space to try other food.

We saw this stall selling sticks of meat and seafood. Basically, you pick out the sticks that you want and someone will barbecue the food for you. We tabao-ed some back for our supper.

Wanted to try more food but the little one was cranky already. Settled our dessert before heading back to our hotel.

The mango sticky rice was amazing! Very sweet and juicy mangoes and the glutinous rice was wonderfully soft and chewy.

That’s all for our first day in Bangkok! Keep a lookout for day two!
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Bangkok for Kids: Art in Paradise Bangkok

Posted on August 17, 2015 by missuschewy

Heyhey chewys! We have come to the third and final post of our three-part series on things to do in Bangkok with kids! As I had mentioned earlier, there are many child-friendly attractions in Bangkok but since we were only there for a few days, we had to plan carefully to make the most of our trip! We went to Siam Ocean World on the second day of our trip, and Kidzoona & Molly Fantasy on the third, but realized that we didn’t get many family snaps which was a pity. So, on the fourth day of our trip, which also coincided with my birthday, we decided to head to Art in Paradise, the first 3D art museum in Bangkok! What better way to take interesting photos that will serve as wonderful memories many years down the road? 🙂

Art in Paradise is located within Esplanade Shopping Mall, which is some walking distance from Thailand Cultural Centre MRT station. Silly me got it wrong and we walked all the way to Thailand Cultural Centre after we exited the station. Upon realizing that there’s no Art in Paradise there, we took a cab to Esplanade Shopping Mall. Please don’t get confused like I did! Admission for adult foreigners costs 400 baht and 200 baht for children above 100cm. All footwear are to be removed and deposited at the counter before entering the museum. There are over 150 paintings across various themes and we had so much fun posing for photos, Little misschewy included! Shall let our photos do the talking 😉

Art in Paradise Bangkok is a great place for families to create memories through interactive 3D art. Even though Chanelle might be too young to know how to pose, her unintentional poses and occasional photobombing make the photos interesting! Hope you guys enjoyed this post! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

Art in Paradise Bangkok
99 Esplanade Room No 408
4th Floor
Rachadapisek Road
Din Daeng Bangkok 10400
Tel.: 026-609-130
Email: aipbkk2013@gmail.com

Opening Hours:
Daily
10am – 10pm

Bangkok for Kids: Bangkok Sea Life Siam Ocean World

Posted on August 14, 2015 by missuschewy

Helloooo daddies and mummies! Here’s our second of three-part series on things to do in Bangkok with kids! If you have missed our earlier post on Kidzoona and Molly Fantasy, click here to read it. You know how it’s kinda funny when misterchewy and I look back on our last trip to Bangkok in 2012.. We were trying to decide if we should visit Bangkok Sea Life Siam Ocean World while we were at Siam Paragon. After much deliberation, we both agreed to take our kid there the next time we visit Bangkok. Three years later.. HERE WE ARE! 😀

Little misschewy had not been to the S.E.A Aquarium at Sentosa so we reckon this would be an eye-opening and engaging experience for her. Furthermore, she knows what a fish is so we thought it would be interesting to introduce different forms of marine life to her. The tickets are priced at 990 baht for adults and 790 baht for children 3-11 years old. We only needed to purchase a pair of adult tickets which worked out to be around SGD 80! We managed to save a bit by getting the Weekday Early Bird rate at 745 baht for adults, which is about SGD 60 for a pair. We saved $20! However, the small catch is that you have to enter before noon on a weekday! With proper planning, it wasn’t difficult at all.

Indeed, from the moment we stepped into Siam Ocean World, Little misschewy was so enthralled by all the different types of fishes that we spent quite a fair bit of time before moving on to the next species.

This Octopus is really ginormous!

Lionfish! Reminds me of my scuba diving days. I wanna go diving again! 🙁

We stepped onto a glass panel and watched various sharks swim underneath us. Pretty cool!

This seems to be meant for kids and it’s sooo cute!

Little misschewy was initially afraid and clung on to misterchewy tightly. But after awhile, she refused to leave! LOL.

Heyyy fishie fishie!

Now, that’s a different kind of ‘fish’! Hahaha.

The otters were just lazing around!

This is the part where visitors get to touch and feel marine life such as starfish and sea cucumber.

Going on board the Ocean Feeding Boat allows one to get up close and personal with sharks, stingrays and a great variety of fish. SEA LIFE staff will provide an insightful introduction while feeding the fish by hand. It costs 180 baht per person and this activity is available from 10.30am to 8pm.

Adorable penguins!

Some of them were just standing still for so long and I actually wondered if they were real. Haha.

There’s a mini playground within Siam Ocean World!

This part of Siam Ocean World took our breaths away. It’s really magnificent plus the music that was being played had that mysterious mood to it. Watching all these gigantic sharks swim around was such an amazing experience!

As compared to our very own S.E.A Aquarium, I would say that Bangkok Sealife Siam Ocean World wins hands down in more ways than one. If you have a young toddler like us, a visit to Siam Ocean World is highly recommended! 😉
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Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World
B1-B2 Floor, Siam Paragon,
991 Rama 1 Rd, Pathumwan,
Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
(Nearest BTS: Siam)
Tel: 662 687 2000
Email: marketing.bangkok@merlinentertainments.biz

Opening Hours:
Daily
10am – 9pm

Bangkok for Kids: Kidzoona and Molly Fantasy

Posted on August 11, 2015 by missuschewy

When our friends knew about our plans to take Little misschewy along to Bangkok during my birthday week on the last week of July, many expressed their concern because Bangkok is popularly known as a shopping and eating paradise. Would having a young toddler in tow ruin our holiday plans? And more importantly, would Chanelle enjoy this trip or be bored to tears? Even though Chanelle is barely two years old, she sure knows how to play and have fun! With that, I planned our Bangkok itinerary with her interests in mind, in addition to ours. There are many things to do in Bangkok with kids but due to limited time, I shortlisted three main attractions in Bangkok for kids and families. I will first be introducing Kidzoona and Molly Fantasy in the first of my three-part series 🙂

There are a number of indoor playgrounds scattered all over Bangkok but I decided on Kidzoona based on two very important factors:

1. Kidzoona is highly accessible as it is located on the 5th floor of Gateway Ekamai Mall, right next to Ekkamai BTS Station. Kidzoona allows re-entry on the same day, so parents and children can take a break at any of the cafes or restaurants within the mall. A few other indoor playgrounds that I had researched on are located away from BTS stations which can be rather inconvenient.

2. Kidzoona’s play areas and play structures are age-appropriate for young toddlers like Chanelle. I feel that some other indoor playgrounds like Funarium and KidZania, on the other hand, target older children about 4 years and up.

Kidzoona and Molly Fantasy are two concepts under the Aeon Fantasy group, a Japan-based company which specializes in the operation of entertainment facilities for children in shopping centres. Apart from Japan and Thailand, Aeon Fantasy has also found its way around other Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, Cambodia, The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. All I want to say is.. Please come to Singapore soon!!

Upon stepping into Molly Fantasy, we were greeted by a barrage of coin-operated kiddie rides and arcade games. Little misschewy loves to go on kiddie rides these days, but ain’t nobody got time for that! Besides the kiddie rides and arcade games, Molly Fantasy houses a large play area, Kidzoona, which is what we were there for. First, we had to fill in a form and pay upfront before entering Kidzoona. Adults pay a flat rate of 90 baht but the rates for children differ based on their height and are pricier on weekends.

The green lockers are for you to store your personal belongings and valuables while the white lockers are meant for footwear. We were unlucky that the green lockers were unavailable so we had to constantly keep an eye on our bags.

There are educational toys and books for the little ones. Saw a baby boy hammering away at a wooden xylophone. Super cute! It’s a great place for young ones to get warmed up before proceeding to the giant ball pool.

Lounge area where tired parents can take turns to rest and recharge. There’s even a massage chair to sooth those aching feet!

This inflatable giant ‘hamster wheel’ is so cool!

One of the reasons why I enjoy taking Chanelle to the indoor playground is because she likes watching other children play and it brings a smile to her face.

Hahaha. The look on Little misschewy is like, “Mummy, can I play now?” We have not been to many indoor playgrounds in Singapore but the ball pool at Kidzoona is hugeeeee and attracts children of all ages!

Inflatable bouncy castle!

Chanelle tried to climb up but it proved to be too steep!

Papa Chewy to the rescue!

WHEEEE! Chanelle asked to go on the slide at least another three more times! Good workout for Papa Chewy! Hahaha.

This section of Kidzoona is quite similar to KidZania, where children are free to experiment and take on various roles in the ‘working field’. It was adorable watching how kids served their parents who acted as customers or patrons.

Of course, we couldn’t resist a photo of Little misschewy in one of these cute outfits! Her first part-time job at a burger shop! HAHAHA.

“Hello! Burgers for you?” I whatsapped this photo to Chanelle’s godma, and she replied that she will BUY ALL THE BURGERS from Chanelle! So sweet can! LOL.

Ooh! Look who’s a sushi chef? Irrashaimase!

Mummy is going to post a photo of this sushi platter on Instagram while my personal sushi chef prepares some hot green tea for me!

The hubs and I are glad that the local children we met at Kidzoona are either well-mannered, or their parents are quick to intervene before things turn ugly between kids. Chanelle happened to pick up a toy which was left behind by a little boy and he took it back right out of her hands but his father immediately handed it back to Chanelle before pulling his boy away. This lovely girl didn’t push Chanelle out of the fire truck when Chanelle climbed in. In fact, she shifted herself to make more space for Chanelle. Her kind gesture truly surprised me because I have come across selfish kids who refuse to share.

It was a joy watching the two girls smile and interact with each other and they occasionally waved at misterchewy and I!

We spent close to 2 hours in Kidzoona and paid another 40 baht for Little misschewy to go on this carousel ride before leaving Gateway Ekamai Mall. Besides keeping the little ones happy, it’s also a fantastic way to expend their energy so that parents can have a peaceful meal when their kids conk out after a few hours at the indoor playground 😉
Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

Kidzoona and Molly Fantasy
Floor 5, Gateway Ekamai Mall, 982/22 Sukhumvit Road Prakanong, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110
(Nearest BTS: Ekkamai)
Local Phone:02 108 2650
International Phone: +66 2 108 2650
Email: contact@aeonfantasy.co.th

Operating Hours:
Daily
10am – 9pm (last entry 8pm)

Price:
Adult – 90 Baht
Child under 105 cm – 180 baht on weekdays/300 baht on weekends
Child over 105 cm – 220 baht on weekdays/360 baht on weekends

The Chewys’ Family Trip to Hong Kong Day Three

Posted on June 5, 2015 by missuschewy

As opposed to Australian Dairy Company which had been featured in my previous post, I was quite keen to try Capital Cafe at Wan Chai! This place also seems very popular and has garnered more positive reviews online.

We arrived pretty early and got a table almost immediately.

Scrambled eggs with black truffle! It was a pretty generous amount of black truffle shavings and the scrambled eggs were very creamy! It’s seriously damn good la.

We also ordered the Condensed Milk Bun which was very sweet but we like!

Next up we went for dim sum at two Michelin star Sun Tung Lok at Miramar Shopping Centre. We were not that hungry so we only ordered a few dishes to share.

Spent some time shopping at Harbour City! Seriously all the super atas brands are there!

At Toys R Us!

Afternoon tea at Intercontinental Hong Kong! They don’t accept reservations but we managed to get a table. Be there extra early if you want a table that gives you unobstructed view of the harbour! It’s really lovely! This is the Afternoon Tea Set for Two that we had. About SGD$130 to $140. We don’t usually spend money like this back in Singapore but since we are travelling, must enjoy right!

We saved a couple of scones for Little misschewy because she loves them.

We wanted to try Star Cafe and thanks to the help we found online, all we had to do was to look out for this neon signboard that says Dadol Hotel.

Walk straight ahead and take the stairs down.

I tried the Tomato noodles with pork chop. The tomato gravy was a bit watered down but the taste was still quite robust. This proved to be quite a comforting bowl nevertheless! Highly recommended!

That’s all for Day 3! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

The Chewys’ Family Trip to Hong Kong Day Two

Posted on June 2, 2015 by missuschewy

Little misschewy’s birthday coincided with the second day of our Hong Kong trip and we had planned an entire day of non-stop eating! Headed to Jordon first thing in the morning!

I wasn’t too keen on breakfast at Australian Dairy Company because I read reviews that this place is quite overrated but the hubs mentioned it’s on his must-try list. Ok la must give and take in a relationship 😛

We stared at the menu for a few minutes without knowing what to order. LOL. In the end we looked around and ordered whatever others were having.

Macaroni with ham was mediocre.

We also ordered the Steamed Egg Pudding and Steamed Milk Pudding which Chanelle loved.

As we were going to have dim sum in less than a couple of hour’s time, we decided to walk to International Commerce Centre. It was a damn long walk and I think we took at least 20 to 30 minutes to get there. Really no joke because I was babywearing Chanelle and felt like my lower back was gonna break. Haha.

Chanelle needs her breakfast too so off to the nursing room we went!

We were so impressed by the nursing rooms in Hong Kong. They have almost everything in there! Weighing scale, high chair, wet wipes, bottle warmer etc.

Clean and comfortable nursing room.

Tin Lung Heen is a two Michelin-star restaurant located on the 102nd level of The Ritz Carlton.

The view. Too bad it was rather hazy that day!

Roasted Crispy Suckling Pig (HK$308)

Deep-fried turnip cake with X.O. chilli sauce (HK$88)

Steamed golden shrimp dumpling with bamboo shoot and asparagus (HK$88)

Steamed barbecued Iberian pork buns (HK$88)

Soup dumpling with fish maw in superior stock (HK$112)

Petit fours were served and I really liked the osmanthus jelly!

It was a really wonderful dining experience at Tin Lung Heen and everyone should try the dim sum there when they visit Hong Kong!

After lunch, we went to a few shopping malls.

Took a break by having desserts at the popular Hui Lau Shan but it was so so.

I posted a photo on my FB page and a reader commented, “I just returned from HKG too. You gotta try the Kai Kee (at Tsim Sha Tsui) deep fried head of fish balls and deep fried cuttlefish balls. SUPER GOOD.” And so, we did just that. Problem was, we found TWO Kai Kee restaurants and none of them sold deep fried balls! It was kinda awkward and we randomly settled for toasted bun with condensed milk and iced milk tea.

Shortly after that, we passed by Wah Kee Snacks just 200m down and I thought maybe this is the one! The reader probably got the name wrong and it should be Wah Kee instead of Kai Kee. Plus Wah Kee Snacks specialize in a wide assortment of deep fried balls!

We tried the squid balls and prawn balls which were coated with some delicious spicy sauce which is their secret recipe. SO DAMN GOOD! We even went back after dinner to buy some back for supper! Hahaha.

But guess what? The reader said it’s not this. LOLOL. But nvm, we discovered a gem!

Another Instagram follower suggested that we try the peking duck at Spring Deer Restaurant, also at Tsim Sha Tsui. The restaurant had a pretty old school feel. As we were still feeling quite full, we only ordered Peking Duck (HK$300) to share.

The hubs looked around us and declared we should have a bottle of Tsingtao beer to go with our duck meat! >_<

Super shiok!

We bought a small sweet potato cake for Chanelle from the bakery below our hotel and we sang a birthday song for her. Hope she had an enjoyable time!
Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

The Chewys’ Family Trip to Hong Kong Day One

Posted on May 27, 2015 by missuschewy

PHEW! I managed to get everything else out of the way so that I can focus on blogging about our second trip of 2015! Back in mid March, The Chewys flew to Hong Kong for a 5D4N stay which was planned as Chanelle’s first birthday trip! Come to think of it, it was also a way to reward misterchewy and I for surviving our first year of parenthood. LOL. Of course, parenthood is not without its ups and downs, and we couldn’t have done it without the help of our family members, who have been very helpful and forthcoming. We truly appreciate it! Ok back to the story. I have been toying with the idea of a birthday trip for the little one for quite some time but was put off by the exorbitant prices probably because her birthday falls in the same week as the March school holidays. Yeah but in the end, we went ahead with the plan because we wanted some time to ourselves!

We flew with Singapore Airlines and the airfare alone cost us about $1.2K. We did feel the pinch of course, with our home renovation underway and all. But it’s ok. Let’s enjoy first! Hahaha. Catching our flight early in the morning!

Happy Chewys on the plane! Can you spot Little misschewy’s first tooth sprouting at the bottom? XD

I think we booked our tickets in January, right after returning from our trip to Phuket, and hence we managed to secure the bassinet seats. The bassinet failed to serve us well because Chanelle only slept like 5 minutes in it and she was wide awake throughout the flight. The husband and I didn’t get to watch Penguins of Madagascar. Boohoo.

It was an energy zapping 4-hour journey for us! Hahaha.

After touching down at Hong Kong International Airport and collecting our luggages, we couldn’t be more relieved to meet our driver who was patiently waiting for us, holding up a placard with my name on it. He promptly took over our luggages and led us to our vehicle.

Really lucky and grateful to have Blacklane sponsoring our airport transfer both ways! Blacklane provides professional ground transportation at the lowest rates in over 180 cities all over the world. The steps to booking your ride is extremely simple. Via Blacklane’s website or app, enter the following details: Pickup and Dropoff locations OR the number of hours you wish to book the a car and driver for and your desired pick up time. After which, you get to select the car class which best suits your needs and budget! We selected the Business Class vehicle which allows a maximum capacity of 3 passengers and 2 luggages.

After booking, I received two emails. The first email was to acknowledge my booking and the second email was sent as soon as a suitable driver had been assigned to handle my ride request. When I switched on my mobile phone at the airport, I received email and SMS updates informing me that our car is on its way, and a second one as soon as our driver has arrived at the pickup location. It was a very pleasant feeling to be reassured a few times, knowing that you have got a reliable driver waiting to pick you up!

Bottled water to keep us hydrated throughout the 30-minute ride.

Loving the Mercedes E-Class!

Gotta thank Hotel Jen Hong Kong for the complimentary two nights and special rates for the remaining two! We really love the convenient location of the hotel. Hong Kong University MTR station is a mere 3-minute walk from the hotel! We stayed at Kowloon the previous few times we visited Hong Kong separately. This was our first time staying at Hong Kong Island but it wasn’t a hassle at all when we wanted to get to Kowloon. Also, Hotel Jen provides complimentary shuttle service to certain areas at various timings throughout the day.

We were thrilled to check into this lovely Club Harbour View room which offered us a panoramic view of Victoria Harbour. At 24sqm in size, our room was reasonably spacious for the 3 of us.

Our room came with free WiFi, full sized Executive writing desk, cable television, movie channels, electronic safe, steam iron and ironing board, amongst many other amenities.

We were impressed by the smart en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower! Also, the toiletries provided by Hotel Jen were adequate.

As usual, Little misschewy had the honor of testing the comfy bed.

Cheeky girl grabbed her pants and tried to escape after I changed her diaper. Haha.

We were famished but it was too early for dinner. Afternoon tea at Mandarin Oriental’s Clipper Lounge it was!

Not wanting to ruin the dinner plans we had in mind, we ordered the Afternoon Tea for One (HK$278 + 10%) to share.

Plain and raisin scones!

Devon clotted cream and rose petal jam. Both were so goooood!

The afternoon tea items were great but I found the service somewhat aloof. Well, I can still close one eye. Hahaha.

Actually this trip was mainly an eat and eat and eat trip! I must warn my readers first. LOL. Within the next two hours, we settled our dinner at Tsui Wah Restaurant at Central (Wellington branch). They have quite a few branches all over Hong Kong.

Iced Milk Tea.

Hainanese Chicken Rice was surprisingly delicious!

The best time to eat in a cramped cafe or restaurant is when the baby is asleep.

Pork cutlet burger which was tender and oily in a good way!

When communicating with the reservation team via email, I told them we probably wouldn’t need the baby cot as Little misschewy co-sleeps with us. However we changed our mind after checking in. Having a baby cot is the best way to contain her so that she doesn’t fall off the bed if we are not looking. And the baby cot is so cute!

“Let me out if not this bunny is gonna get hurt real bad!”

Surprise birthday cake specially arranged by the hotel! Chanelle’s birthday wasn’t until the next day but it was a really nice and sweet gesture!

We have come to the end of our post on our first day in Hong Kong! Stay tuned for more!
Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

The Chewys’ Hong Kong Trip Video!

Posted on April 15, 2015 by missuschewy

During our recent trip to Hong Kong, we took some videos just for the fun of it and decided to compile the snippets together to depict our entire vacation! Both misterchewy and I don’t have any prior experience with video editing and stuff, so it took us quite a while to figure things out. Hehehe please bear with us because we know that this video is very amateurish but we reckon it’s a nice change to be able to document our trip in a different manner. Having said that, do look out for the photos that we will still be posting on this space soon!

Recently I was invited to try a website called ShopBack, which is a cashback website that gives you rebates for buying through them. When you buy through their website, they get commission from the brands, which they split with you as cash rebates! It’s pretty useful because they have websites like Expedia and Agoda, which means I can get cashback rebates for hotels or flights next time. Enjoy and happy hump day! 🙂

The Chewys’ First Overseas Family Outdoor Photoshoot at The Westin Siray Bay Resort, Phuket

Posted on February 25, 2015 by missuschewy

The Chewys’ First Family Trip to Phuket

Posted on February 18, 2015 by missuschewy

WHOOHOO! In mid January, The Chewys went for our first vacation of 2015 and it was also our very first family trip with Little misschewy! We have always wanted to bring Chanelle overseas, especially after our last trip to Taiwan without her. It was a huge mistake back then when we booked our air tickets during my third trimester, thinking that we needed to spend some couple time without the baby immediately after my confinement! Needless to say, we missed Chanelle terribly during the trip and swore to ourselves, never again. Fast forward a few months later, we felt that Chanelle is ready and is quite adaptable, and as parents, we are also pretty confident about bringing her overseas. However, we weren’t sure how she would fare for the first flight so we decided to be safe and chose Phuket as our holiday destination because of its close proximity and also, we wanted a relaxing time at one of the Phuket villas. 🙂

And so, the day came. We were very excited and a little bit nervous. Had to take a photo at the Departure gate before bidding my in-laws goodbye!

We flew with Singapore Airlines for obvious reasons. Didn’t manage to get bassinet seats for the flight to Phuket so the hubs and I took turns to let Chanelle sit on our laps with the infant seat belt securely fastened. A family wefie before take off! 🙂

In no time, we were high high up in the sky! The curious girl peeped out of the window a few times. Chanelle was tired, yet she wasn’t exhausted enough to fall asleep on her own. She fussed and cried a little, but was soon entertained by a Caucasian couple sitting behind us.

Slept as soon as the plane touched down!

Our resort quoted us 1300 Thai Baht (THB) for a one way trip via a Toyoto Camry from the airport, which is about 50 SGD. I found it exorbitant for what is estimated to be a 30 minute car ride and didn’t proceed with the transport reservation. We couldn’t believe what we saw upon stepping out of the airport. Taxi meter! We asked for an estimate and were quoted 700 THB including 100 THB airport surcharge. Hurray!

Little misschewy slept soundly throughout the entire journey and woke up promptly when we reached the resort of our choice – The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa! I joined the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) programme late last year and decided to stay at one of the Starwood properties for this trip. Out of the 3 resorts currently available, we decided to stay at The Westin Siray Bay because the private beach appealed to us.

We received a very warm welcome as soon as we got off the taxi. If my memory doesn’t fail me, we were each served a refreshing glass of orange juice topped with crushed ice as a welcome drink. Certainly needed one to cool off in the sweltering heat!

Situated on the exclusive east coast of Phuket, The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa, Phuket offers a rejuvenating tropical haven overlooking the magnificent Siray Bay with all you need to be at your best. This luxury five star resort boasts contemporary design and the renowned warm Thai culture, welcoming guests into this respite of tropical elegance. The resort is just minutes away from Phuket Town, cultural attractions, local markets, restaurants and shopping.

The Westin Siray Bay Resort is quite big, hence a buggy is required to get around the resort, especially if you room is located a distance away from the reception or restaurants.

Each of the 257 contemporary guestrooms, suites and pool villas offers ocean views of Siray Bay. We were really lucky that our room was upgraded to a Sala Pool Villa!

We were really ecstatic!

Our pool villa was definitely the epitome of comfort and coziness! The hubs and I couldn’t stop gasping at this and that, and behaved like little kids. LOL.

The Westin’s signature Heavenly® Bed.

Here’s a glimpse of our bathroom.

We didn’t use the tub at all because it was impossible with Chanelle around. Haha!

The Westin is very generous with their bath amenities! They have almost everything!

The resort’s mini bar items are chargeable, except for bottled water with tags. They are pretty generous with the bottled water! We found at least 6 bottles in our room and they are stocked daily.

The mini fridge does not have a freezer compartment so I left my freezing panels for my cooler bag with the resort’s kitchen. The drinks inside the fridge are not complimentary.

Sooo.. What did we have planned for our first day in Phuket? Nothing! Just wanted to take a dip in our very own private pool! Chanelle was like.. Mummy can you please hurry up I wanna play with water NAO. Hahaha! Just look at that face.

Chanelle enjoyed the pool so much that we felt bad carrying her out of the water >_<

We were invited to a cocktail reception at one of the restaurants at the resort, EEST, where we enjoyed free flow drinks and canapes! It was very nice of the hotel managers (I think) to mingle with guests and it made us feel right at home. We hung around for about 15 minutes before moving off to our dinner venue within the resort.

Dinner was at Prego by the Beach. SPG members are entitled to 15% off! Here, you will find Italian cuisine served in a fun, lively and lighthearted atmosphere featuring an open kitchen and bar overlooking the beach.

Honestly, I wouldn’t say that the food was fantastic. In fact, my risotto was way too salty. After dinner, we headed back to our pool villa via the buggy and called it a night!

I can’t remember what time it was when I sneaked out in the morning to snap the sunrise. I was too sleepy to linger any longer and crawled back to the comfy bed.

It was the hubs’ turn to take this photo while Chanelle and I were still sound asleep. When the little bub woke up, we went for a casual photoshoot within the compounds of the resort and had to skip breakfast. Will share photos in another post! 🙂

Little misschewy was simply too exhausted after the photoshoot and fell asleep. Both misterchewy and I were feeling ravenous so we didn’t hesitate to call room service to deliver food to us!

Phad Thai and Minced Basil Pork with rice! Sooooo yummy! The food was also surprisingly quite cheap but we didn’t order more stuff to share because we were planning to go to Patong! The resort provides shuttle bus service to Phuket Town and Patong Beach at a small fee of THB100 and THB200 per person per way.

As soon as the little one woke up from her nap, we went around to take some photos by the pool before the shuttle bus came to pick us up.

On the shuttle bus! The journey took almost an hour because of the heavy traffic.

We were dropped off at Jungceylon which is a shopping mall but we were not very keen to shop there even though it was air conditioned and a great respite from the heat. Didn’t know how to walk to Patong Beach so we took a taxi and paid another THB 200 for the short journey.

You know what? It’s actually a pretty bad idea to go to Patong Beach with a baby in tow. Firstly, you cannot enjoy any of the sea sports activities and secondly, the weather is too hot, making it quite ridiculous for you to babywear your child. We had to cool off at the air conditioned food court nearby! Good thing there is free wifi there.

There was nothing for us to buy at Patong, save for a couple of souvenirs. Decided to have dinner around the area before returning to our resort.

I don’t usually drink coconut but when I do, I make sure I take a selfie. LOLLLL.

Yeehah! Chanelle’s first tuk tuk ride! 🙂

Kaab Gluay Restaurant is located further north of Patong beach, along 58/3 Phrabaramee Road. This is one of the places that we had shortlisted from our online research. If we had known that Kaab Gluay doesn’t have a proper high chair for babies, we definitely wouldn’t have come here. It was tough having to take turns to eat!

As I’m writing this, I can’t believe we travelled all the way there just to eat 3 dishes! 🙁

Phad Thai with seafood.

Green Curry with chicken.

Tom Yum Soup with seafood.

Even though we only had three dishes to share, we were really full by the time we were done. Food was exemplary and well worth the visit! Highly recommended! On a side note, the tom yum was fiery hot and I developed a sore throat overnight for wiping the entire bowl clean! The hubs only had a few mouthfuls because he can’t take spicy food.

Our last night in Phuket!

The next morning, I told the hubs that we must let Chanelle have another round of fun in the pool before leaving the resort!

It was a quick one before we prepared ourselves for breakfast!

The breakfast buffet spread was quite sumptuous!

Our check-out was smooth. This time, our journey to the airport cost us THB 1000 which is slightly more than what we paid for to travel from the airport to our resort, inclusive of airport surcharge. The rate was quoted by the resort so we had to go along with it.

Chanelle fell asleep while she was latching, even before the plane took off! #achievementunlocked

Our light sleeper woke up when food was being served. Didn’t have a choice but to place her in the bassinet so that we could eat in peace!

Papa and mummy are so glad that you enjoyed your first overseas trip, darling!

Hope you guys had a good time reading about our holiday experience with a baby in tow! Happy Chinese New Year and HUAT AH! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

missuschewy

Singapore Lifestyle and Travel Blog

Tag Archives: singapore travel blog

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